When he returned to his guest room, he happened to see Su i coming out from inside.
"Master Su." Ling Chen grinned and asked, "Were you looking for ?"
"Where did you two run off to just now? I thought you’d gotten lost and was about to send people to look for you." As she said this, Su i gave Ling Chen a deep look. She knew very well that this wasn’t Ling Chen’s first or second ti at the Heavenly chanism Pavilion; he’d even stayed here for a period and was very familiar with its layout. There was no way he’d get lost. It was just that so things couldn’t be pointed out directly.
"My apologies, it was too dark just now, and I accidentally took the wrong path. I wandered around for a long ti before I got out. So, I was worried you’d be looking for and ca back right away. Master Su, it’s still early—why don’t you co sit in my room for a bit?"
"No need, I still have things to attend to later. Oh, right! Elder Du asked to pass a ssage to you. If you have ti, you can go sit with him; he has a few jars of good wine over there."
"Alright, I’ll definitely pay the elder a visit."
"Then I’ll be going first." After speaking, Su i took two steps out, then turned back, looked at Ling Chen and said, "Since the visibility is poor at night, you should go out less and stay in your room as much as possible, so you don’t take the wrong path again. I don’t want this sort of thing to happen a second ti. Do you understand what I an?"
Ling Chen smiled and nodded. "Don’t worry, there won’t be a next ti."
Watching Su i’s figure gradually recede, Ling Chen finally let out a breath of relief. Luckily he’d had the foresight not to bring that sword with him; otherwise, if Su i had seen it, the trouble would have been huge.
Back in his room, Ling Chen rested briefly, then went alone to the Yangxin Pavilion. Judging from how smoothly it went, Du Kang had probably already inford the guards there, and Ling Chen passed unimpeded all the way to the wooden hut where Du Kang lived.
Seeing the light shining from inside, Ling Chen lightly knocked on the door. Only after Du Kang’s voice ca from within did he push the door open and enter.
"Elder Du." Stepping into the hut, he saw Du Kang sitting on a rattan chair; on the wooden table before him were two wine cups, as if he’d known Ling Chen would co. Without lifting his head, Du Kang pointed at the chair opposite and said, "Co, sit down and try my new brew."
Ling Chen was not polite; he sat down on his own, picked up the cup, and drained it in one go. As the wine flowed into his stomach, a sensation like fire imdiately surged upward from his abdon, his whole body incomparably hot. Not only that, Ling Chen actually felt as if a warm current appeared in his Dantian. It was only for an instant, but it was enough to make him both excited and delighted.
To feel anything at all ant that his Dantian had a chance of recovering. Ha! Ling Chen couldn’t help but grin; he hadn’t expected Du Kang’s wine to have this sort of effect, to actually stir a reaction in his Dantian.
Before Du Kang could pour more, Ling Chen was already impatiently hugging the wine jar, filling his own cup to the brim. After downing three cups in a row, he still wanted more, but Du Kang, seated opposite him, reached out and stopped him.
Du Kang glared at Ling Chen. "What are you trying to do, brat? I’ve barely had a few sips myself—you’ve got to leave so."
Ling Chen scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. "Elder Du, you can’t bla for that. Your wine just tastes too good."
"Drink less; there’s another guest who hasn’t arrived yet."
"A guest?" Ling Chen was slightly taken aback and asked with interest, "Elder Du, who else?" To be honest, he was truly curious. Anyone Du Kang would call a "guest" had to be soone with quite the background. If it were Su i, Du Kang definitely wouldn’t use the word "guest."
"You’ll know when he cos. But although I invited him, I’m not sure whether he’ll actually show up."
After that, the two of them drank cup after cup. Unknowingly, a whole jar of wine had been emptied, but the guest Du Kang ntioned still had not co.
"Elder Du, I..." Ling Chen glanced at the ti; it was already very late. He was about to stand and take his leave when he saw Du Kang lift his head slightly and cast his gaze toward the door, softly spitting out two words: "He’s here."
As Du Kang’s voice fell, the wooden hut’s door was gently pushed open from outside. Ling Chen looked up to see a young man walking slowly into the room. When he saw who it was, a trace of surprise imdiately flashed in Ling Chen’s eyes. It was... him?
While Ling Chen was still dazed, Du Kang slowly rose from his seat and made a "please" gesture toward the youth.
Once the young man was seated, Ling Chen felt the atmosphere in the hut turn sowhat strange. No one spoke; they simply kept drinking. Ling Chen raised his cup, his peripheral vision constantly sweeping over the young man. He had seen this youth twice before—once in the Yangxin Pavilion, and once in the valley behind the Yangxin Pavilion. If he rembered correctly, this youth was Su Cheng’en’s disciple, Xu Ming’s Junior Brother.
Ling Chen truly hadn’t expected that the guest Du Kang ntioned would be him.
After they finished another jar, Du Kang finally set his cup down and turned his gaze to Ling Chen and the youth, saying, "Let introduce you two first. Ling Chen, Yu Beifeng. I believe you’ve both seen each other before."
Ling Chen smiled slightly, politely extending his hand. "Yu, hello. I’m very pleased to et you."
Seeing the hand Ling Chen extended, Yu Beifeng’s expression remained indifferent, without the slightest reaction. Instead, a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes, as though he couldn’t understand why Ling Chen would make such a gesture.
Yu Beifeng’s coldness left Ling Chen a bit embarrassed; his hand hovered in midair, awkward to withdraw or hold there, so he could only look to Du Kang for help. The latter chuckled and said, "Don’t mind him. He’s always lived alone and has rarely had contact with the outside world. He doesn’t know much about the courtesies people use out there."
So that’s how it is! Ling Chen suddenly understood. It seed Xu Ming hadn’t lied—Su Cheng’en treated his disciples with extre harshness, not only restricting their personal freedom but also forbidding them from interacting with the outside world. As a result, even though Yu Beifeng was already of age, he was still like a blank sheet of paper, unaware of many things.
Ling Chen withdrew his hand and opened his mouth, wanting to find a topic of conversation, but he didn’t know what to say, and for a mont was at a loss for words.
Du Kang seed to see through Ling Chen’s thoughts and said, "The main reason I called you two here today is to let you get to know each other, beco friends, and also..." Du Kang paused slightly, then said with a aningful tone, "and also to talk a bit about this person, Su Cheng’en."
As soon as Su Cheng’en’s na was spoken, Ling Chen couldn’t help being stunned. He looked at Du Kang in surprise; the latter actually knew of Su Cheng’en’s existence.
"Don’t find it strange. As long as it’s sothing that happens in the Heavenly chanism Pavilion, there are very few things I don’t know about. I might as well be frank with you—Yu Beifeng is Su Cheng’en’s disciple. However, what Su Cheng’en has done has nothing to do with him. Don’t pin Su Cheng’en’s mistakes on him."
"Elder Du, you’re overthinking it. Su Cheng’en is Su Cheng’en; Yu is Yu. I make that distinction very clearly."
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